Timeline Tuesday 17 Oct 2006 - Protests against the weapons conference

Submitted by AIMC (not verified) on 17 October 2006 - 6:25pm
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Tuesday, 17 Oct 2006

Early morning - A banner was put up at a roundabout near the airport reading "War profiteers get out".

08:30 - Around 20 people are protesting at Te Papa. There are currently no barricades up but 10 cops were already there aswell as 10 Te Papa security guards. The group left at 09:30 after yelling at many war profiteers. No arrests.

09:45 - We won in the High Court! The illegal bail conditions of the 12 people arrested on Sunday were changed just then.

12:38 - 200 to 300 protesters. Front entrance and carpark entrance of Te Papa blocked. Scuffle at start.

12:52 - Another entrance blocked. Lots of security

13:16 - The Police have just made an attempt to shift the main front blockade.

13:18 - Blockades still up. Museum shut. Food Not Bombs cooking. All good.

13:19 - They're trying to get some VIP Army guy out but can't!!

13:21 - Cops just tried to push people away at front but weren't successful

13:25 - A whole bus load of tourists just boarded their bus again and left because they couldn't get into the museum.

13:26 - Te Papa is now closed to the public.

13:43 - Protest all still going on. No arrests. Pushing cops. Music now going

13:49 - People are in around 7 groups all around Te Papa

13:58 - Still no arrests. 'We've got the whole F*ckin place shut down!'

13:59 - Imon Star is doing some freestyle hip hop. Blue sky and rather warm.

14:08 Te Papa now completely shut down. No one in or out. Police retreating and regrouping. All delegates stuck inside.

14:12 Police inside trying to figure out how to get delegates out. The conference has been shut down… Reinforce barricades!

14:21 Cop g 719 just punched someone in the shoulder. Another report just in says the same cop punched someone in the face.

14:23 line of cops to right side.

14:28 Two delegates stopped from leaving

14:37 Cops pushing against people to get delegates out. People pushing back like mad. One camera smashed. Food scraps thrown at cops.

14:40 Around 40 cops. 70 protesters left.

Attention photographers! Send any good photos of today's action to photos@dompost.co.nz by 8pm tonight for inclusion in tomorrow's newspaper.

14:47 Te Papa shut down. Still about 40 Police. All entrances blockaded. No arrests. Some hardcore Police actions at the start but they lost. Police tried to move fences foward but lost against a whole lot of people.

15:23 Big scuffle but we held the line. Blockades still going. Cops quite brutal Someone nearly got a cop's hat. Good chanting. Lots of people.

15:31 One demonstrator just driven into by car at fast speed. Thankfully he wasn't hurt. Lots of keen people around.

15:34 Reports that some delegates have gone to the airport to fly home.

15:56 Numbers have dwindled. 40 people now at the front. No arrests. All good.

16:07 Leaving Te Papa as one big group. Fantastic mood. Great crowd. Happy faces

16:17 Someone managed to expropriate a cop hat!

16:25 One cop hat was taken and then the cops tried to arrest someone in Pigeon Park but didn't end up arresting them.

16:35 All over. People were batoned and the cops had tasers with them.

Comments

Re: Timeline Tuesday 17 Oct 2006 - Protests against the weapons

Submitted by Anonymous on 17 October 2006 - 6:36pm.

Great work everyone! Kia kaha! Keep it up and all the best for tommorrow's mahi. Good on ya Cam for keeping the timeline happening.

Strypey

Re: Timeline Tuesday 17 Oct 2006 - Protests against the weapons

Submitted by Anonymous on 26 October 2006 - 10:00pm.

hmmm its a bit unfair this report, there were a number of incidents i saw on that day as a protester that i wasnt too pleased with. the incident with the boy being hit by a car, a number of protesters their took wrong action and began to bate a man in his car saying that he was a maintenance worker, his car looked the part but still people would not let him leave a continued to yell at him, so naturally as i would have done, the man edged his car forward into the boy, this was too much for the heated screamers and the boy they ran after the car and bashed it. it all seemed totally ilogical, the boy caused the outburst and others just followed his call without truely know what they were doing.
i would also like to point out that the behaviour of the police was incredible NO ARRESTS! even though there were number of occasions where i saw protesters forgetting their cause and using the heat of the momment to over-react against police officers which ended up hurting a few of our own.
we did an awsmome job that day, the people their knew why we were there and they felt the seriousness of it all. they were afraid.